14 Things You Need To Know About PTSD

After going through trauma, it’s natural to have various reactions such as stress, sleep difficulties, or trouble concentrating. But for some people, the symptoms don’t seem to go away, leading to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Here are 14 things you need to know about PTSD.

1. You don’t need to experience one specific trauma to develop PTSD.

Many people tend to associate PTSD with military veterans. And while it’s commonly found in the military population, simply witnessing an event, like a horrendous car accident, can trigger PTSD symptoms. A few everyday experiences are generally known to be traumatic. These include:

• Abuse or neglect
• Sexual or physical assault
• Divorce
• Family or parental abandonment
• Incarceration
• Job loss
• Natural disasters
• Physical injury
• Serious illness
• Terrorism
• Violence
• Witnessing a crime, accident, or death

2. Trauma can occur as a one-time event or over some time.

Some of these events are one-time incidents, like natural disasters or car accidents. Other traumas occur continuously, like coping with an illness or recurring abuse in childhood. Unfortunately, some traumatic incidents are overlooked, like medical trauma, trauma from childbirth, or major surgery.

3. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD.

PTSD triggers an excessive amount of fear and overwhelming amounts of stress. While some people recover over time with little to no symptoms, others can feel “stuck” in this constant state of anxiety, despite any real threat present. When this happens, it may be a sign of PTSD or trauma-related anxiety.

4. PTSD is characterized by 20 symptoms and outlined by 4 categories.

Symptoms may appear within the first three months following an event, but in some cases, may not even surface until months or even years later. If symptoms last longer than a month or start to interfere with your work/home life, you may have PTSD.

5. Trauma can lead to avoidance.

Avoidance is a normal reaction to experiencing trauma, but it can become problematic if it’s a person’s primary way of coping. Ultimately, it can interfere with your ability to heal. Following a traumatic event, your beliefs about yourself and the world around you are significantly impacted. This can lead to avoiding particular thoughts, feelings, or any reminders of the traumatic event.

6. You may experience unwanted and intrusive symptoms.

When memories seem to turn against you, they can be traumatic in their way, especially if they’re memories you’d rather forget about. These memories can be highly distressing and can involve flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re reliving the event over and over again. This is especially likely to happen when you face a traumatic event reminder (a person, smell, sound, or image).

7. Significant changes in thoughts and mood often define PTSD.

Feelings of hopelessness, shame, guilt, blame, lack of interest, withdrawal from others, or disconnection. This may also show up as:

• Dissociation: Dissociation is a disconnection between your sensory experiences, thoughts, identity, or sense of self. You may feel emotionally ‘numb’ or have a sense of unreality and lose your connection to place and time. Dissociation can vary from a mild sense of detachment to a more severe disconnection from your reality.
• Depersonalization: People experiencing dissociation may also experience additional symptoms called depersonalization (feeling as if you’re not real) and derealization (feeling as if the world isn’t real). Having either of these symptoms can respond to an overwhelming or stressful traumatic event that can’t be escaped. A few examples include feeling like you’re out of your body or observing yourself from above. This lets you feel that ‘this isn’t real’ or ‘this isn’t happening.’ It’s your body and mind’s unique way of keeping you safe and free of harm.

8. It can make you feel on guard all of the time.

Arousal and reactivity make up an entire category in PTSD. Many feel easily startled or hyper-aware of their surroundings after a traumatic event. This reaction is meant to be a means of protection, as the body attempts to keep you safe and alert you of any potential threats or vulnerabilities. This natural defense tool is more sensitive following a traumatic event and may look like:

• Irritable behavior or angry outbursts
• Reckless or self-destructive behaviors
• Exaggerated startle response
• Problems with concentration
• Difficulty falling asleep

Sometimes, these are accompanied by other self-destructive behaviors, like drug use, heavy drinking, or engaging in dangerous or reckless activities.

9. Everyone experiences symptoms differently.

While everyone experiences symptoms differently, symptoms of PTSD tend to show up as depression, stress, anxiety, amongst other disorders. This is also one reason that PTSD is one of the most misunderstood disorders within the mental health field.

10. People that develop PTSD often feel like they didn’t do enough to stop it from happening.

One reaction during a traumatic event that isn’t as well known as fight or flight is freeze. As a survival mechanism, freezing is a part of the body’s natural stress response. Without getting professional help, people who freeze during a traumatic event may question themselves or feel guilty for not doing enough. However, this response kept them alive and got them through. Fight, flight, and freeze are all biologically appropriate responses.

11. People of any age or stage in life- even children, could be at risk for PTSD.

While it’s tough to predict who will develop PTSD in response to trauma, research shows that certain risk factors increase vulnerability. Some risks are attributed to:

• Age
• Gender
• Prior exposure to trauma
• History of abuse
• Temperament or personality of an individual
• Existing mental health conditions
• Genetics or family history of PTSD or anxiety
• Lack of social support or family instability

Despite 50% of the population reporting exposure to a traumatic event, only 7-8% are diagnosed with PTSD, according to the National Center for PTSD. Women are also more likely to develop PTSD than men, as women are more likely to be victims of sexual assault.

12. One of the most excellent protectors against developing PTSD is social support.

Generally speaking, having close friends and family has numerous benefits for your physical and mental health. Regarding PTSD, researchers have found that social support is associated with a lack of development of PTSD symptoms following a traumatic event. Friends, family, professionals, and peers can help you process what happened, cope with stress, and provide comfort when needed. Having a solid support network in place also play a significant role in treatment success and outcomes.

13. There are various treatment options for PTSD.

Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD, and not everyone requires psychiatric treatment. But for many, these symptoms can be debilitating and intense. Getting an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan can be critical in diminishing symptoms and improving the overall quality of life.

Common treatment interventions include:

• Therapy: Trauma-focused interventions are recommended for treating PTSD. Trauma-focused simply means that treatment is focused on processing, coping with, and overcoming traumatic events. Some techniques include thinking about and talking about the trauma, while others teach you how to cope with symptoms by learning relaxation strategies.
• Medication: Medication can help manage symptoms and can make participation in therapeutic interventions more effective. 42 out of 100 people report reduced intensity and duration of symptoms. Contact your doctor or get a referral from a mental health professional to learn more.

14. There’s help available.

We take a personalized approach to our counseling and create a therapy plan that will get you to the best quality of life as soon as possible! If you are located in the Temple or surrounding areas, give us a call today! We can help you overcome these symptoms and guide you through the process of grief and healing.